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catscradle Aug. 10th, 2006 04:07 pm)
catscradle Aug. 10th, 2006 04:07 pm)Everyone in their own life time tends toward the belief that the “good ole days” are over and we live in a time where either morality has gone in the toilet or only assholes are in charge of anything. More often it’s both and it doesn’t really matter what side of the fence you reside. I’m not sure when the “good ole days” actually existed, as each present generation has its trials and thinks the previous one had its collective head on better while the up coming generation has obviously lost theirs. But if we go back in the historical record what we find is that human society tends to be collectively nuts no matter the era.
I’m rereading The Apology of Socrates, by Plato, and if you haven’t read any of the accounts of Socrates by Plato, I recommend it. What the Platonic writings teach us is that nothing is really all that new. The majority of people lead unexamined lives, particularly the leadership which tends to resent the need to do such a thing and will destroy anyone that even thinks about making them.
The gist of The Apology is that Socrates is on trial on grounds of corrupting the youth and of atheism by the leaders of Athens. It starts with him in court to defend his actions against his accusers. He does a little recap of how he ended up on trial to defend his life. It all started with a road trip – it always starts with a road trip - to find someone that's truly wise, because the oracle at Delphi say he’s the wisest thing going for Greece. Socrates finds this hard to swallow, because really, he’s not all that wise. He starts with the politicians he believes are wise and listens to what they have to say. After they have their say he concludes that they're all just a bunch of pretentious assholes that don't know anything and delude the people into thinking that they do. Unfortunately Socrates used his soft voice out loud and makes a lot of very powerful enemies. He does this with artists and poets and teacher – much to the same results; though the politicians are the worst (the others are more or less just unaware of their non-wisdom). Socrates concludes that the gods are making a statement when they say Socrates is the wisest – since he’s not all that wise himself – humans have little to no wisdom. The only reason he’s a blip on the radar is because he’s aware of his lack of wisdom.
Socrates then goes about teaching this to the youth. He mainly teaches them to put their leaders to the test and call them to task. Don't sit by and let them run the world just because they say they're the wisest and should. Question authority, because really, they're not the wisest and there's a good probability that they're actually pretty dumb. As you might imagine, people in high places were not amused.
All sorts of charges were leveled at Socrates, the majority of them total fabrications. One thinks of the Dubya, the Republican Party, the Christian Right, Joe Lieberman (actually most politicians regardless of affiliation if the thumbscrews are put to them) when a bit a truth wafts in their direction. Let’s forget wisdom for a bit, TRUTH is not patriotic. And hey, what’s good for ancient Greece is good enough for us today. I wonder sometimes if the ole Harvard and Yale frat boys that run our nations actually read The Apology and took away from it, “HEY! If someone approaches us with the truth we can just execute them!” But I get ahead of myself. Though I might as well tell you now that it doesn’t end well for Socrates.
Socrates says at his trial:
Substitute “America” for “Athens” – it fits rather well. Our government is good for assuring us that they care about truth and our integrity, when clearly it’s been working to circumvent them. In spite of the facts, it goes to war. It tells its citizens that it’s for democracy and then squashes it when a democratic election doesn’t go in the favor of the US. The government says it supports the liberty of all and then denies civil liberties to homosexuals. A homophobe states that he’s not bashing homosexuals and in the same sentence calls the lifestyle immoral and offensive. There is no virtue in saying one thing and doing another. What happens to a country that no longer regards the greatest improvement of its soul and falls into lip service to gain its approval?
Things are very much the same as they have always been. The only difference between then and now is that our ability to destroy has increased. Killing thousands or millions of people is now a much easier task. It’s more efficient and less messy. A neutron bomb can take out an entire city’s population while still leaving the infrastructure intact. Some call this progress. Socrates would say we, as a nation, are unwise, because we have no clue what we are doing and only play at understanding the world. He would say we lost our soul because money and pride are valued above truth and wisdom.
His words of hope are leveled at the individual to stay true to themselves and not fall into the trappings of the world and what it wants to hear from you. When he is condemned to death he readily accepts it. When given the chance to recant his words and blubber his way out of the whole mess, he passes. They can’t take away his integrity. He’s better than that, and so, he tells us, are we.
I’m rereading The Apology of Socrates, by Plato, and if you haven’t read any of the accounts of Socrates by Plato, I recommend it. What the Platonic writings teach us is that nothing is really all that new. The majority of people lead unexamined lives, particularly the leadership which tends to resent the need to do such a thing and will destroy anyone that even thinks about making them.
The gist of The Apology is that Socrates is on trial on grounds of corrupting the youth and of atheism by the leaders of Athens. It starts with him in court to defend his actions against his accusers. He does a little recap of how he ended up on trial to defend his life. It all started with a road trip – it always starts with a road trip - to find someone that's truly wise, because the oracle at Delphi say he’s the wisest thing going for Greece. Socrates finds this hard to swallow, because really, he’s not all that wise. He starts with the politicians he believes are wise and listens to what they have to say. After they have their say he concludes that they're all just a bunch of pretentious assholes that don't know anything and delude the people into thinking that they do. Unfortunately Socrates used his soft voice out loud and makes a lot of very powerful enemies. He does this with artists and poets and teacher – much to the same results; though the politicians are the worst (the others are more or less just unaware of their non-wisdom). Socrates concludes that the gods are making a statement when they say Socrates is the wisest – since he’s not all that wise himself – humans have little to no wisdom. The only reason he’s a blip on the radar is because he’s aware of his lack of wisdom.
Socrates then goes about teaching this to the youth. He mainly teaches them to put their leaders to the test and call them to task. Don't sit by and let them run the world just because they say they're the wisest and should. Question authority, because really, they're not the wisest and there's a good probability that they're actually pretty dumb. As you might imagine, people in high places were not amused.
All sorts of charges were leveled at Socrates, the majority of them total fabrications. One thinks of the Dubya, the Republican Party, the Christian Right, Joe Lieberman (actually most politicians regardless of affiliation if the thumbscrews are put to them) when a bit a truth wafts in their direction. Let’s forget wisdom for a bit, TRUTH is not patriotic. And hey, what’s good for ancient Greece is good enough for us today. I wonder sometimes if the ole Harvard and Yale frat boys that run our nations actually read The Apology and took away from it, “HEY! If someone approaches us with the truth we can just execute them!” But I get ahead of myself. Though I might as well tell you now that it doesn’t end well for Socrates.
Socrates says at his trial:
"O my friend, why do you who are a citizen of the great and mighty and wise city of Athens, care so much about laying up the greatest amount of money and honor and reputation, and so little about wisdom and truth and the greatest improvement of the soul, which you never regard or heed at all? Are you not ashamed of this? And if the person with whom I am arguing says: Yes, but I do care; I do not depart or let him go at once; I interrogate and examine and cross-examine him, and if I think that he has no virtue, but only says that he has, I reproach him with undervaluing the greater, and overvaluing the less."
Substitute “America” for “Athens” – it fits rather well. Our government is good for assuring us that they care about truth and our integrity, when clearly it’s been working to circumvent them. In spite of the facts, it goes to war. It tells its citizens that it’s for democracy and then squashes it when a democratic election doesn’t go in the favor of the US. The government says it supports the liberty of all and then denies civil liberties to homosexuals. A homophobe states that he’s not bashing homosexuals and in the same sentence calls the lifestyle immoral and offensive. There is no virtue in saying one thing and doing another. What happens to a country that no longer regards the greatest improvement of its soul and falls into lip service to gain its approval?
Things are very much the same as they have always been. The only difference between then and now is that our ability to destroy has increased. Killing thousands or millions of people is now a much easier task. It’s more efficient and less messy. A neutron bomb can take out an entire city’s population while still leaving the infrastructure intact. Some call this progress. Socrates would say we, as a nation, are unwise, because we have no clue what we are doing and only play at understanding the world. He would say we lost our soul because money and pride are valued above truth and wisdom.
His words of hope are leveled at the individual to stay true to themselves and not fall into the trappings of the world and what it wants to hear from you. When he is condemned to death he readily accepts it. When given the chance to recant his words and blubber his way out of the whole mess, he passes. They can’t take away his integrity. He’s better than that, and so, he tells us, are we.
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